1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to a panel assembly, and more particularly, to a panel assembly that may provide enhanced light transmittance and improved visibility.
2. Discussion of the Background
A display panel is employed in a display device and displays an image with a plurality of pixels. A pixel is the smallest unit to display an image. Among various display panels, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, which is thin and light, has been developed along with the rapid advancement in semiconductor technologies.
The LCD panel generally includes an upper display substrate including a common electrode and a color filter, a lower display substrate including a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode, and liquid crystals interposed between the upper and lower display substrates. The pixel electrode and the common electrode receive different electric potentials to form an electric field, thereby adjusting the alignment of liquid crystal molecules and the light transmittance to form an image.
The LCD panel may provide a narrow viewing angle. To realize a wide viewing angle, a liquid crystal display panel in a vertically aligned (VA) mode has been developed, in which a single pixel is divided into a plurality of domains. In the VA mode, the longer side of the liquid crystal molecules is vertically aligned with respect to the upper and lower substrates when the electric field is not applied. The liquid crystal molecules in the VA mode may have various orientations near a fringe field in the divided plurality of domains, thereby enhancing the viewing angle.
However, if a medium or small liquid crystal display panel has a pixel that is divided into a plurality of domains, the aperture ratio becomes too small and accordingly, the light transmittance decreases. Thus, the brightness of the display panel also decreases.